Page 36 of The Holiday Fakers
“You’ve gotten old,” Martha continues.
What the?—
“Very,veryold.”
Harper bites her lip and looks away. Hudson stares at the floor, his shoulders shaking slightly. Even Ethan’s grim façade seems to be cracking.
I glance at Piper. Her smile is strained, her eyes telling me she wishes we were anywhere but here.
“Just like Daddy,” Martha continues.
Ethan’s eyes widen as he gazes at his daughter, and Harper and Hudson laugh out loud. John clears his throat, attempting to disguise a chuckle, while Erica covers her mouth.
“Why are you laughing?” Martha asks, her little chin starting to wobble. “It’s true!”
“Shhh, sweetie,” Ethan says to her. “It’s okay. They’re only laughing because Daddy isn’t really that old.”
“But you’re nearly as old as Grandpa!” she cries. “And you used to be much younger, like that.” She points to a framed photo on the wall, and my heart stutters.
It was taken two weeks before I left Hideaway, at a graduation party Erica and John had thrown for Ethan, Olivia, and me. Even though Olivia and I weren’t their kids, they’d included our names on the cake alongside Ethan’s.
I remember everything about that moment as if it were yesterday. Mia had taken the picture. Ethan is in the middle, one arm slung around my shoulders, the other holding Olivia close. Harper and Hudson stand next to her, at that awkward, skinny stage of adolescence when they seemed to grow overnight.
And next to me, Piper. I wanted to put my free arm around her, but knew I couldn’t. The backs of our hands were touching, though.
“See!”
“Yes, honey,” Erica replies, “you’re absolutely right. Now, are you hungry?”
Martha presses her lips together, an expression of intense concentration on her face, then looks at her father.
“Am I hungry, Daddy?”
Ethan lifts her out of his arms, pressing her tummy next to his ear.
“I think so, pumpkin,” he says. “I can definitely hear the gurgle monster.”
“What does he want to eat?” Martha asks, giggling between words.
Ethan glances at his mother.
“Mini lobster rolls, roast pork, and blueberry pie,” Erica says in a growly voice from just behind her granddaughter.
“Feed the gurgle monster!” Martha cries, then wriggles in Ethan’s arms to face her grandmother. “I want to be between you and Daddy.” She looks at Piper. “And opposite Aunt Piper.”
Piper presses a hand to her heart. “I am honored.”
My heart feels too tight inside my chest as I watch Martha with her family. It’s one thing to know your friends’ had a kid; it’s another to meet her face-to-face. It makes it real in a way I can’t deal with.
A zing sparks through my fingers, as Piper takes my hand and squeezes.
Suddenly, I don’t feel quite so alone. Her presence grounds me.
Just friends, remember?
I drop her hand and extend my arm towards the dining room. “Ladies first.”
Her expression glitches for a second, like she’s embarrassed, then she smiles and leads me into the other room, seating me next to her, with Hudson on my other side.
